Improvement in car-couplings



J. H. OSGOOD, Jr.

Car Coupling.

Patented Apr. 14. 1863 fawn WZZneSS S.

MPETERB. PNOTQ-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTONv D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. OSGOOD, JR., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 38,] 78, dated April 14, 1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMEs H.0seoon, J r., of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Car-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure l is a side view of two shackle-bars united by the coupling. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the links detached.

Like parts are indicated by the same letters in all the drawings.

The nature of my improvementconsists in the employment of two links of a peculiar con struction, each being provided with an inclined prong, d, in front, and a bolt-hole, e, in the rear, so shaped as to keep the link in proper position and also allow the same the necessary vertical movement, by means of which improvement the coupling not only becomes self-shacklin g, (the prong of the one link automatically sliding over the other link and dropping into place,) but also self-detaching, in case one car should tip a certain angle to either side, when the prongs d would be turned so as to free themselves from the links.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is a metallic buffer or shackle-bar having a square, flaring mouth, a, as represented by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. B is a strong bolt passing vertically through the round hole, b, in the center of the buffer A. O is a link, (the general shape of which is clearly shown in Fig. 2,) its rear end being provided with a boss, i, through the center of which is a hole, 0, to receive the bolt B, said hole being somewhat enlarged at the top and bottom, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to allow the requisite vertical motion to the front end of the link, while at the same time it keeps the latter from dropping too low or tipping sidewise. On the front end of the link 0 is a prong, or hook, d,

inclined backward, as shown in the drawings, the front side of said prong being convex so as to ride readily over the link in the opposite buffer, and the back side slightly concave, so as to operate as a self-fastenin g hook. As represented in Fig. 1, two of these links, 0, are used, the prong of the one link pointing up and the other down. Thus bringing the buffers together with links as before described, the under prong will ride over the link, and, passing the upper prong, drop, and thus both will securely couple, the strain and wear being equally shared by both of the prongs. The inside of the prongs being concave, it is obvious that the greater the strain the closer the upper link will press upon the lower, so that there is no liability of the coupling ever detaching itself, except in case of accident, and when one car tips so much to either side as to draw the prongs from the links, and this, of course, is just the thing desired, as one car may thus be prevented from dragging its neighbor with it off the track. Should two buffers be brought together having the links placed alike in reference to their prongs, it will only be necessary to draw the bolt Bof one and reverse the link.

When it is required to uncouple the cars, the attendant, standing upon the platform of a passenger-car or the top of a freightcar can readily do it by simply pulling upward the rope or chain j, which, passing through the hole g in the buffer, as shown in Fig. l, is attached to the ring h, or its equivalent, on the link.

The above-described coupling is simple, neat, strong, and secure, can be readily operated from the platform of a passenger-car or the top of a freight-car, while stationary or in motion, and may be applied to the ordinary buffers now in use.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my improvement, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-- The link 0, provided with the prong d and hole 0, constructed and operating substantially as described.

J. H. OSGOOD, JR. 

